Barrel-filling machine.



PATENTED JUNE 16,. 1908.

W. IHNKEN. BARREL FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 8. 1906.

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WILLIAM IHNKEN, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY. l

BARREL-FILLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Application filed August 8, 1906. Serial No. 329,663.

i of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Barrel-Filling Machine,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a barrel filling Inachine and Inore particularlyto a machine for filling a barrel or cask with liquid charged with gas,with the object in view of providing simple and effective means forpreventing the liquid from foaming andinserting the bung into the caskwithout disturbing the filling 1' head from its filling position.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented In theaccompanying drawings In which Figure 1 is a view of the machine in per-I spective showing a barrel in position to be filled, and Fig. 2 is avertical section of the operative parts on a larger scale.

The supporting frame is conveniently formed by two pairs of uprights 1and 2, the

. members of each pair being arranged to slant toward each other as theyextend upwardly, the bottom of the two pairs being secured to bed pieces3, 4, and their tops connected by cross pieces 5, 6, the said crosspieces 5 and 6 being connected by beams 7, 8, for the purpose ofsupporting the filling head and its operating mechanism.

The bed pieces 3 and 4 are also connected by beams 9, 10, and these inturn by supporting pieces 11, 12, arranged to receive a cask or barrel13 and hold it in position centrally beneath the filling head. Thereservoir containing the charged liquid with which the cask is to belled is indicated at 14 and the tank of gas for the purpose ofequalizing the pressure within the cask during the filling operation isindicated at 15. The filling head is denoted by 16. It is cylindricalcupshaped with its mouth opening downward and is provided withperforated bosses 17, 18, for the attachment thereto of pipes 19, 20leading respectively, from the gas supply and the liquid reservoir.

The pipe 19 is provided with a stop cock21 and the pipe 20 with a stopcock 22 for the plurpose of regulating the flow of gas and quidtherefrom to the lling head.

The filling head 16 is provided on its lower face with a gasket 23 ofrubber or other suitable yielding material for the purpose of making afluid-tight joint with the cask or barrel 13 around the mar in of thebung-hole 24 through which the lfiquid. is to be inserted into the caskand which is to be subsequently closed by the bung.

The lling head 16 is guided by a pair of hangers 25, 26, depending froma head piece 27 secured to the beams 7 and S.

I find it convenient to brace the beams 7 and 8 by attaching thereto themiddle portions of braces 28, 29, the opposite ends of each of saidbraces being extended downwardly and fastened to the uprights 1 and 2.

The supporting head 16 is carried in the f lower end of a bifurcatedframe 3() having a tongue and groove connection on its exterior with thedepending hangers 25, 26, to permit it to move together with the fillinghead up and down to a limited extent between the hangers, the said frame3() being swiveled to the lower end of an operating screw 31 having ascrew threaded engagement with the head 27 fixed to the beams 7 and 8and provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 32 for operating thescrew to raise and lower the frame 30 and hence the filling head 16carried thereby.

Through the center of the screw 31 there extends a rod 33, the said rod33 extending downwardly through a stuffing-box 34 at the back of thefilling head and thence into the space within the filling head where itis provided with a cap 35 having a central slightly tapered teat l36 forreceiving the bung 37. The bung 37 is provided with a socket 38 in itsouter end of such size relative to the teat 36 that the bung madecommonly of some suitable wood and having comparatively littleelasticity may be forced on to the teat 36 and held thereon during thefilling operation while permitting the rod 33 to be withdrawn from itafter the filling operation is completed and the bung has been forcedinto the cask or barrel. The cap 35 is intended to cover substantiallythe top of the bung around the socket 38 so that the bung may be driveninto position without liability of its being split.

The rod 33 for holding and forcing the bung in place is provided at itstop with a head 39 composed preferably of some tough metal for receivingthe blows of a hammer or mallet for driving the bung into its position.

filling operation and lower it into position with its inner end insertedin the bung-hole by means of a lever 40 pivotally secured to the rod 33at L11 andfulcrumed to the frame at i12 preferably by means of aswinging fulcrum.

The lever 40 is extended past its fulcrum and provided with acounterbalance weight 43 for the purpose of lifting the rod 33 to holdthe tongue at the top of the filling head during the filling operation.The lever 40 is also preferably provided with a handle 44 for theconvenient grasp of the hand of the operator in lowering the bung intoposition to be driven home.

In operation, the cask 13 having been placed in position with itsbung-hole 24 beneath the filling head, the latter is lowered into theposition shown in Fig. 2 by turning the hand wheel 32 of the screw 31and is forced downwardly against the cask or barrel so as to insure afluid-tight joint between its gasket 23 and the cask or barrel.

Previous to lowering the head 16 into its filling position, the lever 44has been pressed downwardly to bring the bung receiving cap and teat onthe rod 33 into position where the bung 37 can be readily pressed ontothe teat 36 and the rod 33 then is allowed to lift under thecounterbalance 43 to hold the bung at the top of the filling head out ofthe way of the filling liquid.

The pressure in the reservoir containing the charged liquid is thennoted by means of a gage of any well known or approved form not shownherein, and the pressure in the gas tank 15 is raised to a point denotedby a gage of any well known or ap roved form not shown, which shall beonly a few points, more or less, less than the pressure in thereservoir.

The gas pressure is then turned on by means of the cock 21 to exert itsinfluence within the filling head and within the cask to be filled andthe cock 22 is then turned to ad mit the liquid into the filling headand thence into the cask or barrel.

The liquid flowing in against the gas pressure which so nearly equalsits own pressure or head, falls quietly into the cask without anyconsiderable tendency to foam and when the barrel or cask is filled theliquid and gas having been cut off, the bung 37 is lowered into positionby pressing down on the handle 44 and when it has been inserted as faras pressure on the handle 44 will insert it in the bung-hole, it isfinally driven home by striking on the head 39 with a mallet or hammer.The rod 33 is then lifted by raising the handle 44 and the bung left inposition in the cask. The filling head is then elevated by turning thescrew 31 by means ofthe hand wheel 32, the filled cask or barrel removedand a new one placed in position for -repeating the operation.

What I claim is:

A cask or barrel filling machine comprising a hollow filling headprovided with a gasket on its lower edge and with means forsimultaneously connecting the interior of the head with pipes leading toa liquid and a gas supply, means for supporting a barrel or cask withits bung-hole in position beneath the head, a screw for raising andlowering the filling head, a rod having a reci rocating movement withinthe screw and fil ing head and provided with a cap having a seat for thebung and provided at its o posite end with a head piece for receiving bows from a hammer or mallet and a counterbalance lever for raising andlowering the rod and hence the bung, substantially as set forth.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of July 1906.

WILLIAM IHNKEN. Witnesses;

FREDK. HAYNEs, F. GEORGE BARRY.

